Bestselling British author, Lee Child, introduces Jack Reacher in his novel, Killing Floor. In addition, he includes a comprehensive introduction with background and information on this beloved main character.

The story begins when Reacher, an unemployed ex-military policeman, who is sort of a drifter, is eating a late breakfast in a diner in Margrave, Georgia, a small southern town outside of Atlanta. He has just gotten off the bus and walked from the edge of town to the diner, and is arrested for a murder that was committed the evening before, even though Reacher hadn’t arrived until 8:00 am that morning. Reacher knows he didn’t kill anyone, but convincing what he finds is a corrupt small-town police department, is not easy. He is put in the prison across town to be held over the weekend, along with a well-known affluent citizen of the town, Paul Hubble, who was questioned because his phone number was found in the shoe of one of the murder victims (there are two), and has panicked and confessed to murder. The two are put on the wrong floor in the prison, and they are attacked by a group of violent inmates where Reacher saves them both.

Once Reacher convinces the police he couldn’t be the murderer, he learns that the identity of one of the bodies just happens to be his older brother, Joe; he hasn’t seen him for seven years, and hasn’t been close to him in much longer. Because he senses things are not as they appear in this town, and he knows that the police are inexperienced in actually solving crimes, since there have been no murders in over 30 years, he becomes involved in the investigation, and stays in town. The investigation leads to evidence of corruption among the town’s leaders, businessmen, and law enforcement; Jack’s brother had apparently come to the town to investigate the corruption, and during the course of the novel, there are several additional violent murders. Reacher also murders several persons, in self defense, of course.

Child’s writing style is easy to follow, and this particular book is told in first person, through the eyes of Reacher. It is a page turner, and isn’t easily put down. In fact, thriller fans will most likely become hooked on Jack Reacher and will want to read all of the subsequent books; this is the one to start with, though, to get the background on him.

One negative on this book, however, is the fact that there is quite a bit of graphic violence – murders, fights, etc., and that violence is described in detail. Thriller readers who shy away from violence in novels would be wise to skip this series and stick to authors that are a little less descriptive and leave more to the readers’ imagination.

This book was purchased with personal funds and no promotion of the book was solicited by the author or publisher.